At a special event in Paris, France, Archos made its next-generation Internet Tablet official today. The Android powered multimedia device will outmatch the iPod touch with a Ti OMAP3 processor and a huge 4.8-inch touchscreen display with 800×480 resolution and 16 million colors. In addition to its fast processor and high resolution screen, the Internet Tablet will also include:

22 hours of Music playback time and 7 hours of Video playback with standard Lithium polymer battery

The Archos 5 Internet Tablet will be available in two models: an 8, 16 or 32GB Flash version and a 160GB or 500GB hard drive version. Prices start at $249 for the 8GB Flash version up to $439 for the 500GB hard drive version and it will launch on September 16th (directly from Archos and at Amazon.com). Also interesting is the Archos Phone tablet, which Archos only partially unveiled. The Phone Tablet will have a 1GHz processor, 3.5G HSDPA/HSUPA connectivity, a 4.8-inch 854×480 display and all the other goodies its non-3G cousin has. No release date for the Phone Tablet was announced but the January 2010 edition of CES would be a good place to launch, no?

Back in March we gave you an extensive hands on review of a great little BlackBery app called TetherBerry. In short, TetherBerry allows you to connect your compatible BlackBerry handset to your Windows-based computer via USB in order to share your cellular data connection with your PC. The nice thing about it of course, is that you can tether without the need for pricey monthly plan add-ons from your carrier. Until recently the application was only available for Windows users and a select few taking part in the private Mac OS X beta. Fret not however, as TetherBerry is ready to take its OS X app to the next level as of this morning. Though it will still technically be in private beta, Mac users can now head over to the Mac beta page and sign up for an invite. There may be a bit of a waiting list but hey, at least you’ll be one step closer to getting your Mac/BlackBerry tethering on…

So it looks like Apple’s planning on holding an event for iPhone 3.0 OS March 17th along with showing off an updated SDK. This would fit nicely with their brief history of having a preview software event followed by a hardware refresh in June/July. As far as what we’ve been told of iPhone 3.0, here’s what we’ve got:

MMS

Tethering via Bluetooth and USB

We’re working hard to get some more information and know that our list above isn’t exactly thorough, but hey, it’s something! Plus, there has to be copy and paste, right?

Thanks to the folks at TetherBerry, we have been putting its latest software solution for BlackBerry tethering through the paces over the past week or so in preparation for today’s official launch. For those unfamiliar with the product, TetherBerry allows you to use your BlackBerry to access the Internet from your computer anywhere you have a cellular signal. It uses the data connection on your handset and does so without incurring additional tethering fees imposed by your wireless carrier. Now that you know what it does, let’s get on with the review and see if TetherBerry is indeed a viable on-the-go mobile tethering solution.

Just like the last time Rogers updated its smartphone plans, we’re torn between loving them and hating them. While they do include a taste of everything for what are pretty reasonable prices for the Canadian wireless marketplace, we can’t stand how Rogers insists upon making its customers choose between a smartphone plan with a completely crap amount of data or another plan entirely. We get that from Rogers’ point of view it’s a “smartphone plan” because it has data included, but 500MB is not a lot of data at all – especially when Rogers touts the fact that tethering is included. Hit up the jump to check out the plans (all prices are CAD).

Just about the only Apple rumor that hasn’t been touched upon in the blogopshere leading up to Tuesday’s Macworld keynote has been an iPhone tethering plan for AT&T. The lack of tethering has been an issue for many iPhone power-users since its launch back in 2007 and its addition would surely help boost the iPhone’s ARPU considering the plan has long been rumored to be somewhere in the region of $30/5GB (which is of course the same deal AT&T currently offers its BlackBerry users). Whether or not this rumor pans out is anyone’s guess but only one thing is certain: With this many rumors flying around, the Macword keynote is definitely going to let just about everyone down because there’s no way Apple will hit all of the bases that have been covered.

As we get closer to the release of firmware version 2.2 for the iPhone which could drop as soon as next Friday, possible details of the impending iPhone tethering plan have just come out. While these details still have rumor status for sure, they certain sound feasible if not likely. It has been presumed that AT&T’s tethering plan would be introduced at the time 2.2 is released, so the timing of this info is just about right. Here’s what it looks like:

Monthly fee: additional $30

Data cap: 5GB (hard cap – tethering will supposedly be cut off once the 5 GB mark is reached)

Connect through iTunes, though this may only be required for the initial connection

Expected speeds: GPRS: ~30k / EDGE: ~110k / 3G: ~1000k

The 5 GB data cap, though lame, is right in line with current BlackBerry offerings so it certainly makes sense. The bad news is that this 5 GB cap might get trimmed down a bit for all smartphone tethering users. Hmm. Let’s hope that last bit was just some kind of miscue if AT&T has any hopes of swaying people from jailbroken alternatives. In fact, lowering the cap all around might just be enough incentive to push other smartphone users to seek out free and low cost tethering alternatives as well…

Finally, one of the many “every other smartphone can do it, why can’t the iPhone?” complaints constantly read throughout the blogosphere is about to be addressed – AT&T will soon make an iPhone tethering plan available to customers. AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph De La Vega might not have addressed rumors that AT&T’s struggling 3G network was the cause behind the delays, but he did make it clear that AT&T would begin offering the plan “soon”. AT&T might have a new problem now however. With jailbreaking as easy and popular as it has become, will the existence of an official iPhone tethering plan, no doubt carrying a monthly premium comparable to other Smartphone tethering plans, be widely adopted? Surely if AT&T’s tethering option were made available back when the iPhone 3G was released, many would have hopped on board. Five months later however, many of those with a real need for laptop connectivity have likely found a solution in the free jailbreak option. Only time will tell how widely the new plan is adopted but the hope is that AT&T’s new tethering option will become available with the impending release of the iPhone 2.2 software update. So iPhone users, are you planning to ditch your free jailbreak option and jump on board?

We heard back in June that the iPhone 3G would not be offered with an optional tethering plan but now a new report indicates that might only be half the story. It now appears that an iPhone 3G tethering plan is back in the mix and is being considered worked on at AT&T. What’s the big issue with a tethering plan that’s causing all this ruckus? It is now being reported that an insider at AT&T is citing network stability issues as the reason for the delays. Of course AT&T customers using a variety of other smartphones have access to tethering plans, but the source cites the enormous number of iPhone users as a potential problem. Apparently Big Blue isn’t overly confident and fears that its network might buckle under the added stress of iPhone 3G tethering. What’s kind of sad in all this is we doubt even 5-10% of iPhone 3G users nation-wide would opt for a tethering plan. If network stability is indeed the issue, it’s a sad state of affairs when the gradual adoption of a tethering plan by such a small percentage of iPhone users would throw things out of wack.

As WiMAX continues to stumble and stammer, people are wondering if the once-exciting prospect of WiMAX in the US is simply a pipe dream. This wouldn’t be the first time a group of competitors rallied together and bribed convinced the FCC to impede progress. With the future of WiMAX up in the air, the struggling Sprint is realizing that it will have to look elsewhere to juice up its data offering for the time being. Finding new ways to leverage that EVDO Rev. A network of theirs is indeed going to be key and making its Phone-as-Modem (PAM) plan a bit more accessible is a fine start. While nothing has been confirmed yet, rumor has it that the new price point in the near future will be a very reasonable $15 / month, down from the current $40 / month. Of course some of us use our handsets as wireless 3G modems without paying an extra cent, but for those unaware of that possibility $15 per month isn’t half bad – especially if the $15 service addition might replace a pricey USB modem or laptop card.

We’ll state this from the jump: the method described in this post is not for the faint of heart, and may lead to AT&T charging you for excessive data usage and/or terminating your account due to unauthorized usage. Still interested? Read on. iPhone warrior Nate True has devised a way to tether your iPhone 3G to your Apple laptop. The process involves a homebrew collection of software and hardware hacks, and ultimately allows your computer to see your iPhone as a modem thanks to a combination of 3proxy, Terminal, and Wi-Fi. This is an imperfect solution, and involves a conscious rebellion against AT&T’s terms of service, but while we wait for an official solution from AT&T and Apple this is, for the time being, the next best thing.

According to recent reports from iPhone Atlas, AT&T will not be offering a tethering plan for the iPhone 3G. Tethering of course, is the process whereby a handset is connected to a computer via cable or bluetooth so that the computer can make use of the handset’s data connectivity. Preventing tethering with the iPhone 3G is a pretty ridiculous move when considering that the rest of AT&T’s 3G arsenal can be used to tether. It’s a travesty, right? Wrong. Theorectically this issue shouldn’t be a big one at all. After all, tethering is sooooo 2004. Now that Apple has finally caught up to its competitors in terms of opening the OS X mobile platform to third-party development, lack of tethering should be remedied rather quickly. Just as apps like JoikuSpot Light and WalkingHotSpot transform an S60 handset into a pocketable WiFi hotspot, developers will likely attack this territory on the iPhone as well. Why bother with tethering when you can make use of WiFi and create multiple WEP / WPA-secured connections with a single device? Developers, the gauntlet has been laid.